Technologies in renewable energy: A case study of Namibia

The global shift towards renewable energy (RE) is essential for combating climate change and achieving energy sustainability. This transition, however, faces multifaceted challenges that hinder its deployment. The purpose of this work is to provide a global status of RE, examine the challenges faced, provide future directions, and provide an insight into the emerging RE technologies. A case study of Namibia is used because the country remains one of Africa’s emerging RE powerhouses. This study uses a qualitative and data-driven review methodology, and key metrics considered include installed renewable capacity, RE share in energy mix, investment levels, and policy mechanisms. In addition, official policy documents and national energy statistics were prioritized for Namibia. The findings of this research are that Namibia is in the early stages of developing its RE infrastructure, renewable energy sources, mostly solar and wind power. Namibia currently generates the majority of its electricity primarily from hydropower and solar. However, rural electrification remains low, with financing and grid coverage as the key barriers. A major challenge is securing funding to build projects efficiently. Slow government approvals and difficulties in connecting new energy to the power grid are also hindering the RE uptake. The global shift toward renewable energy is essential for combating climate change and achieving energy sustainability. The world’s discovery on the potential of renewable energy resources is vast as it is projected to have a significant share in the future global energy mix. However, this transition faces multifaceted challenges that hinder its deployment. This paper therefore, provides a comprehensive review on status of renewable energy in the global context and in the African continent. A case study of Namibia is considered. The authors further discuss in depth the challenges that impede the uptake of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) where technology and policy frameworks remain at the forefront of these challenges. In the African context however in addition, the funding remains a critical impediment. The future direction for Africa examines critical factors influencing the sector's development: regulatory frameworks, investment modalities, technological integration, and transnational collaboration. The discussions presented on emerging technology in RES and future directions for renewable energy in Africa and Namibia are also presented. A comparative analysis on African countries is also provided in this work. Namibia is just starting to build its RES, mostly solar and wind power. A big challenge is getting funding to build projects quickly. Also, slow government approvals and difficulties connecting new energy to the power grid are slowing things down. In this work, strategies for overcoming challenges to the uptake of RES are presented.